The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that nearly 25 percent of bridges in the U.S. - over 152,000 bridges - are "structurally deficient or functionally obsolete." Heavier vehicles, like school buses and delivery trucks, are forced to take lengthy detours for safer bridges. Nearly one in four miles of urban interstate is in "poor" or "mediocre" condition.
Collapsing Bridges, Sinking Levees. It's (Past) Time to Invest
Jury fails to reach verdict in London 7/7 case
A jury failed to reach a verdict on Friday in the trial of three Britons accused of helping to plot the deadly London suicide bombings in July 2005, which left 52 dead.
Although they were not accused of being directly involved in making the bombs or carrying out the attacks, detectives said the men had shared the same extremist beliefs.
Pan American Health Organization Places Cuba as World Leader
Cuba is one of the countries that advances the most in the world with regard to medical attention, said Mirtha Roses Periago, director of the Pan American Health Organization ''PAHO''.
John Warner: Jimmy Carter Was Right
It took 30 years, but Jimmy Carter finally has gotten recognition for the wisdom of his energy policies. Speaking on Science Friday, Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia who first entered the Senate during Carter's term in office, said that Jimmy Carter "was right" when he called for a massive program of energy conservation and alternative energy research.
Warner has recently discovered the threat posed by global warming through his discussions with Pentagon brass who are concerned about the submerging of Naval ports around the world as the oceans rise. Though he is late to the ball, Warner readily admitted the country was asleep at the switch for the last three decades.
Has America Become Fascist?
Webster's defines fascism as "a totalitarian governmental system led by a dictator and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism, militarism, and often racism." A comparison of 20th century fascist and communist regimes with President Bush's USA indicates the machinery for a full-blown totalitarian takeover is now in place, even if no coup has occurred. As Naomi Wolf writes in "The End of America"(Chelsea Green) the 2007 Defense Authorization Bill's Section 333 allows the president "to declare martial law and take charge of the National Guard troops without the permission of a governor when 'public order' has been lost" and to "send the guard into our streets during a public health emergency, terrorist attack or 'other condition.'"
"The president and his lawyers now claim the authority to designate any American citizen he chooses as being an 'enemy combatant,'"
Thus, Congress has empowered Bush just as Germany's Reichstag empowered Hitler, Wolf writes, recalling Hitler's boast, "Democracy will be overthrown with the tools of democracy." Hitler's Interior Minister issued Clause 2 that gave police the power to hold people in custody indefinitely and without a court order, powers the U.S. Congress today has conferred upon "The Decider" in the White House. Mussolini's used the less grandiose "Il Duce" or "The Leader."
House Panel Gives White House a Week to Provide Documents on Firings
The request was prompted by a federal judge’s ruling Thursday that White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten could not simply refuse to hand over any White House documents related to the firings.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ruled that the White House had to turn over documents not covered by an executive privilege claim, and provide a list of withheld documents that are privileged. He also ruled that former White House counsel Harriet Miers could not avoid physically appearing before the committee, or turning over non-privileged documents.
TVNL Comment: And if the White House refuses...um...well...nothing.
Lilly Trained Sales Force to Ignore Drug's Risks
Eli Lilly & Co. trained its sales force to downplay risks for Zyprexa and encourage doctors to prescribe the drug beyond approved uses for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to court documents.
Lilly's research showed some patients on Zyprexa gained as much as 80 pounds and that the incidence of high blood sugar at diabetes levels was 3.5 times higher than for placebos, according to documents filed in a lawsuit brought by the state of Alaska.
TV reporter Hummel quits ABC6 news
Jim Hummel, an ABC6 news reporter for the past 13 years who is known for the “You Paid for It” investigative segments, resigned yesterday morning, saying he was disturbed by the sensational direction the station has been taking.
Hummel said there was pressure to sensationalize news and use slang –– such as “lowlife” and “thug” to describe defendants –– in an effort to increase ratings for the third-place local news station.
I love the craziness of the news,” Hummel said yesterday, before going on The Dan Yorke Show on WPRO (630-AM). “But I think there comes a point where you have to take a stand.”
TVNL Comment: Bravo, Mr. Hummel!
Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border
Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.
Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
TVNL Comment: Can we finally say that we are living in a police state yet?
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